Father's Day Hike

I eschewed what would have been a somewhat more taxing experience the morning of fathers' day because my youngest wanted to go. we had a great time by the potomac river, some of it on a canal towpath, some of it on trails. chilly morning for our area, hence the fleece.

My 4-year-old now always wants to go when I run or hike, which is mostly a great thing. However, I understand about having to mix up the difficulty levels and find ways to include her whenever I can, but still meet my own goals.

Occasionally I have to remind myself that one of my major goals is having capable, active, outdoor-oriented kids. Hence, running with a 4-year-old, while an 8-year-old bikes alongside. Or backpacking with the two of them a whopping three miles.

Hey I just saw this...cool trip! I love seeing folks take their kids out like this. We need to keep propagating interest in the outdoors and I can think of no better way than passing it from father to son.

Our family's traditional first backpack of the year happened on Father's Day. For years our destination was in the Southern Sierra at Cottonwood Lakes out of Horseshoe Meadows west of Lone Pine, CA US 395. We made this excursion every year from the time the youngest was 6 until they all bailed to go to college. Trail head is 10,500' (about) and lakes are at 11,000' (about). As the kids got older we would take more adventurous day hikes the next day. Starting with letting them explore up the lakes unsupervised (BIG challenge for both kids and parents), up to a 12,000' pass (Army Pass) and finally up Mt Langley at 14,000' during a rare low snow year. Usually snow was right at 11,000 in mid June with a large cornice near the passes. Fun trip as it was the last time the entire family was together backpacking.